We didn’t spend any money yesterday. That never happens around here. It’s got to be a first.

The kids and I didn’t leave the house at all. I try to have a “no gas day” once a week. So far it’s only happened twice, but once was yesterday. Besides it was like 115 degrees out there, which really drains my motivation to go anywhere, so we had a pajama party at home instead. But the fact remains that we didn’t spend any money.

And my husband didn’t spend any money because they gave them a free lunch at work. So unless you count the gas he used to commute (which feels like burning money) he didn’t spend any money either. Pretty crazy.

Do you have no money days? If so, how often do you have them? Do you think it really saves money in the long term, or are you just delaying purchases until another day? I’m genuinely interested. I have heard of no spending days before but I’ve always dismissed it as something we could never do, and then we went and did it on accident.

I almost made a big mistake because of some small print. I am currently in the market for a credit card with a zero percent interest rate for at least a year with no balance transfer fee. When we landscaped the back yard last year we put it on a card that was zero percent until the end of October. Since that is coming to an end soon I’m looking to move it.

Last night I got an offer that said “0% fixed APR on purchases until January 1, 2010 when you transfer a balance now!” Sweet! January 2010 is perfect, and it also said that there was no balance transfer fee if the balance transfer was done within 30 days of opening the card. I was going to apply for this card and move my $7,800 balance over.

Then this morning I was trying to figure out if I had to do the balance transfer with the application, or if I could wait to be approved and then move it over. But while I was reading I noticed that the 0% is only on purchases and is not the balance transfer at all. The balance transfer would be at 8.99% right from the start. Ouch, not what I’m looking for at all.

The big bold print on the front of the offer seemed so great but you really have to make sure you know what you’re getting into when you deal with credit cards. They have some very “creative” offers. If you’re not 100% comfortable with how to read a credit card offer I wrote a post a few months ago for Jonathan over at Master Your Card that gives a section by section explanation.

pic by: KM

I love these burgers. I make them about twice a month, especially if I can get one or two of the main ingredients on sale. For $9.65 you can make 4 very tasty and super healthy burgers.

The pineapple salsa is cooked with a touch of sesame oil. I think it really adds something and I like to use it, but if anyone out there knows of a cheaper substitute please let me know. If you don’t like the taste of sesame or are just trying these out for the first time and don’t want to go splurge on bottle of sesame oil I’m sure another kind of oil would work. I also just guessed on how much pineapple I use. I usually cut up a small bowl’s worth in bite size pieces for the kids to munch on and then use the rest for the salsa. The salsa should be mostly pineapple.

Also, I’m sending out a request for your favorite frugal recipes. I’m trying hard to provide a tasty, healthy, frugal meal every week but I’m running out of ideas. So please email me at diaperbagdiva[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any recipes you think would be good for this series. Thanks!

Thai Turkey Burgers

Pineapple Salsa
2/3 fresh ripe pineapple ($2)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (41 cents)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. (less than a penny)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped. ($1.40)
1/4 red onion, finely chopped. (15 cents)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (7 cents)

Burgers
1 and 1/3 ground turkey breast ($3)
1 inch fresh gingerroot peeled and grated, or 2 pinches ground ginger (30 cents)
2 cloves garlic, minced (12 cents)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (20 cents)
2 teaspoons curry powder (50 cents)
course salt to taste (less than a penny)
4 cornmeal topped rolls, or 4 toasted sandwich-size English muffins ($1.50)

Drain pineapple and cut into pieces that will fit in food processor. Place in processor and process to a coarse, chunky texture. heat sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium-high heat until oil smokes. Add bell pepper and onions and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add pineapple and heat through. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let the salsa hang out in the warm pan while you cook burgers.

Heat a non stick skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. Combine turkey, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, curry powder, and salt. Form into 4 patties and cook on skillet. 4 minutes on each side. Serve on rolls with lots of warm pineapple salsa.

Well, I don’t really like them, but I do like the changes I’ve been seeing. I’ve certainly never heard society so concerned with how to get the best gas mileage. I love that people are trading in their SUVs for more fuel efficient cars. It is now a common thing to see a few bikes parked here and there. I’ve even seen a few scooters scooting around town, which I certainly never saw when gas was $2 a gallon.

And with people carpooling in record numbers the traffic is significantly less. I don’t work, so therefore I don’t commute. In the past two years I’ve been on the freeway during rush hour probably one time, but last week I had to go against traffic at rush hour. I was shocked at how little traffic there was on the other side of the median. Traffic is definitely lighter, no doubt. Isn’t that great? Don’t you love it?

But what I love even more than our changing habits is the new passion that car manufacturers have to make more fuel efficient cars. This is key. We can only carpool so much. Have you noticed they’ve started putting the gas mileage on commercials? If the consumer is hell bent on getting better gas mileage the market will provide it. Which is so awesome. I know we can reduce the need for gas without changing our lifestyle. What is kinda sad is how quickly these changes came about. What I’m saying is that the companies have obviously had this technology for a long time, but only now that the consumer is crying out for fuel efficient cars do the companies finally market these cars.

Think Your Way to Wealth recently talked asked if we would stop trying to conserve gas if it went back to $2 a gallon. I say absolutely. There is no way the focus would be on gas efficiency like it is now. Money is a very motivating factor, if it was cheaper to drive we would be doing more driving. Period. And if the consumer doesn’t care about it then the manufacturers aren’t going to care. That would be a tragedy.

So I know it stinks right now, but look at the bright side, it’s bringing about changes that will make life better for generations to come. We just have to stick it out until the market place adjusts to meet our needs.

pic by: Icubed11

Welcome to this week’s roundup. It was the easiest roundup I’ve done in a while. The internet was full of great articles. I hope you enjoy the ones I’ve picked out for you. But before we get started I need to let you know that my article Why Wait? was chosen as editor’s pick on the Finance Fiesta over at Pinching Copper. Thanks Seb!

Ok, here we go…

PF Bloggers:

J.B. over at Get Rich or Die Trying found new motivation to pay down his debt. He has a baby on the way!! Yay! Head over to his site and say congrats!

Master Your Card had a really cute post about what 5th graders said about credit cards. It made me laugh. They also had a great post about how to handle credit card debt during a divorce. I wish no one ever had to think about this for two reasons (you hopefully don’t have credit card debt, or a divorce) but unfortunately this article could help a lot of people.

Our Fourpence Worth gave us some tips on how to resist the urge to splurge.

Around the Blogsphere:

My Two Dollars listed a whole bunch of ways to watch TV for free. You do need the internet for majority of them, but if you’re reading this, you already have that. So if your thinking about canceling your cable this is a must read.

Remodeling This Life demonstrated how to make a pretty message board. I’m totally doing this!

Think Your Way to Wealth gave great explanations about Roth IRAs. If you don’t “get it” when it comes to this stuff it’s a great place to start.

Frugal Dad talked about the physical side effects of debt. All stress causes some physical side effects, and debt is no different. Unfortunately, you don’t think about the possible body aches when deciding to finance something.

Well, I’ve finally entered the world of cash back credit cards. I’ve always thought they were a good idea, but they never seemed like they were worth the hassle. An extra card to carry around, another bill to pay, something else to organize and keep track of, I don’t know… I just never felt the need, but I was glad they worked for other people.

Then I was getting gas a few weeks ago and I’m just standing there watching our hard earned money go down the drain and there was an ad on the pump for the Costco American Express Business card, which gives 5% cash back on gas. I stood there thinking, “Gee if I had that I would be getting like $3 off just this purchase.” So I grabbed an application. It’s a business card, so I used my Ebay business as my business. Sure I only make about $10 a month, but they don’t ask for a Profit and Loss Statement, you know what I’m sayin’?

I just got my card yesterday and I’m very excited. We budget with a envelope type system in Excel. So we figured out a way to keep track of which category we spent the money from and still keep track of what we have spent on the card. I think it should work out.

As well on 5% cash back on gas, this card also gives back 3% at restaurants, 2% on travel, and 1% on everything else. I figure we should earn about $354 a year just on gas and eating out. So I think it’s worth giving it a shot.

Related Posts:

Credit Protection

How to have your late fee reversed

Pic by: ingriogiro

Something really neat happened to me this weekend. It was a very small thing but I wanted to share it. My son ran out of diaper cream. (fascinating isn’t it?) Anyways, I usually have a coupon for it, but I was at the store and he currently has a diaper rash, so I just went ahead and decided to pick up a tube. I was kicking myself for not being better prepared with a coupon, but it’s just a dollar. Hardly worth coming back for. I usually buy two tubes at a time, one for downstairs and one for upstairs. But since I didn’t have a coupon I figured I would just get one and grab the other one when I could save some money.

I get to the diaper cream section and sitting right next to the cream are two coupons, each for a dollar off of the exact brand I usually buy. How fricken cool is that? How thoughtful (and frugal) of someone. I was able to get the two tubes I needed and use a coupon!

Paying it forward with coupons is such a great idea. If you have a coupon you know you aren’t going to use don’t throw it away. Give it to someone else. Leaving it on the shelf next to the item is a guaranteed way to make sure it gets used.

It reminds me of a time we went out for slushies as a family. I had a coupon sheet and it had two coupons for buy one get one free. We could only use one of the coupons and they were about to expire. I was going to throw it away but then in walked a woman and about 6 little ones. I handed her the coupon and she was so surprised. Hey it’s only a free slushie, but it sure made her happy.

Or the time I was in line at the craft store buying something very small for my daughter. With tax my purchase was going to come to something like $2.10 and I only had $2 in cash on me. I was irritated that I was going to have to use my debit card for $.10. The lady in front of me in line was using a gift card and after she was done paying she had $.15 left on the card. She laughed and handed it to me and said, “Here, you can use what is left on this card.” and walked away. Wow, cool!

While these aren’t life changing events, they are neat little anecdotes that show how paying it forward with coupons can really make someone’s day.

Pic by: Bright Star

Much like I was fixated on the phrase “I deserve it” a few weeks back, I have now been noticing a new phrase, “Why wait?”. “Why wait?” has been popping up all over the place. Most notably it’s been mentioned in car dealership ads and furniture store ads. “Why wait?” they ask.

Why wait to buy that fancy new car you’ve been eyeballing? They have a real shiny one for you and a fantastic interest rate to boot. Why wait for that new living room set you’ve been dreaming about? They have hundreds to choose from and no payments or interest until 2010. That’s right! 2010! Doesn’t that just sound light years away? Why wait for all this cool stuff when you can have it right now! You could be driving that fancy car and sitting on your new couch right this very second!

I’ll tell you why you should wait, you can’t afford to buy it. If a low interest rate is appealing then I already know something about you. You can’t afford it. How do I know this? Because if your financing this stuff then you don’t have the cash to buy it. If you don’t have the cash, then you can’t afford it.

Let’s say you want to buy a couch that costs $1,000. You don’t have the money to pay for it with cash, and you don’t feel you should have to sit on that old futon your brother gave you. So you head down to the local furniture store, mediocre credit in hand.

The sales guy tells you how easy it will be to get that couch. Why should you wait, when you can have it right now! You couldn’t agree more! So you agree to buy the couch on credit. Your payments are only going to be $39.75 a month. Great. They don’t mention that you will be paying for this couch for 3 years, and at 24.99% interest. But who cares? You shouldn’t have to wait, you need it now!

Ok, so lets take a look at that loan and see why you should have waited. Besides taking on necessary debt you will end paying $431 in interest over the course of the 3 years. So the couch that should have cost you $1,000 ends up costing $1,432. That’s why you should wait.

But let’s say you decide to wait. How will you ever pay for that couch? Well, you’ve already agreed to pay $40 a month on the loan, so start with saving that. If you saved that every month and earned 3% interest you would reach your goal in 2 years. You would actually own your couch a full year earlier and save yourself over $400.

And that, my friend, is why you should wait.

Related Posts:

Millionaires drive Minivans

I deserve it

Stop living paycheck to paycheck

Pic credit: wizchickenonabun

Ok, I’ve debated and debated with myself as to whether or not this recipe could be considered frugal. But frugal or not I have to share it because it’s the best cake I’ve ever had. With fresh berries it costs $6.69 and with frozen it costs $4.16. (I suggest fresh berries, I think the extra cost is worth it.) The only way I can call it frugal is to compare it to buying it premade. There was a restaurant near where I grew up that used to serve a desert similar to this and if memory is serving me correctly they charged about $6 for a single serving.

This cake is perfect for the Fourth of July. I’m a total sucker for red, white, and blue themed food around this time of year. If you are going to a Fourth of July party this would be an awesome thing to take. The bottom is ooey gooey with berry goodness and the top is crisp and delicious. Moist is this cake’s middle name. Serve it warm with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream and it’s pure heaven.

Strawberry Cake

Filling:
3 cups strawberries, quartered (fresh $2.50, frozen 1.97)
2 tablespoons sugar (2 cents)
1 cup blueberries (fresh $3, frozen $1)

Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour (14 cents)
1 teaspoon baking powder (1 cent)
1/4 teaspoon salt (less than a penny)
3/4 sugar (14 cents)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (50 cents)
1 egg (16 cents)
1 teaspoon vanilla (2 cents)
1/4 almond extract (12 cents)
1/2 cup milk (8 cents)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 11×7 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Combine strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl, spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with blueberries.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Beat 3/4 cups sugar and butter in large bowl at medium sped 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extract. At low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk just until combined, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon over berry mixture; spread gently to cover berries. (The more little globs of dough you put over the berries the easier it is to spread)

3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in golden brown edge comes out clean and toothpick inserted in light brown center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Related Posts:

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Banana Nut Bread

I’ve had remodeling on the brain lately. It’s one of those topics I try to not even think about because my mind tends to get away from me. It starts with me saying “You know what would be cool…” and before I know it I’m drawing up a budget and looking for financing. That’s what happened with the backyard. We had ideas, looked at pavers, made drawings of what we wanted it to look like, knowing full well that we couldn’t landscape the backyard for a quite a long time. Well, it’s landscaped. ooops.

It’s taking me twice as long to get ready in the morning because I’m dreaming of my remodeled bathroom, and that has me concerned. I even talked to a Realtor about my plans and their affect on our house value. SOMEBODY STOP ME!

Besides gutting our bathroom there are a couple of other things I would like to do first. I want to replace the rug downstairs with tile and upgrade the kitchen counters. For some reason I always had it in my head that you actually made money if you remodeled your house. For example, I thought if you spent $10,000 upgrading the kitchen you would increase the value of the house by like $11,000. But that’s not the case. While researching my awesome ideas for the bathroom I found this nifty site that gives the percentage back on different types of remodels. If you click around your city might be listed and you can get info for your specific region. For example, the average bathroom remodel for my area costs $14,955. The average amount recouped is $12,289, or 82.2%. So it only really costs $2,666, right? Well heck! Sign me up for that. For less than $3,000 I can have the bathroom of my dreams? How can I not do it?

Well, unfortunately that is only true if you sell the house right away. Otherwise you still owe the full $15,000. I mean, someone has to pay that loan. They don’t just hold it for you until you sell. But it is very odd to spend $15,000 and only have your net worth go down by $3,000. Not that it makes it a good idea, it’s still a loan no matter how you slice it.

According to the site I listed the average percentage recouped for a midrange remodel is about 70%. With the best remodels being adding a wood deck (85.4%) and a minor kitchen remodel (83%). The worst remodels are a home office remodel (57%) and a back up power generator (58%).

pic credit: Kaworu Koneru